The field of the invention pertains to swimming eye wear such as goggles and swimming masks and, in particular, to means to removably seal the goggles or mask to the swimmer's face.
Swim goggles and swim masks are typically manufactured with a relatively flexible or soft rubber or plastic peripheral seal adapted to contact the swimmers face. The peripheral seal is intended to comfortably engage the face about the eyes or eyes and nose in a manner that excludes the leakage of water into the goggles or mask. The goggles or mask are worn to permit unblurred underwater vision and to exclude eye irritants such as chlorine.
Despite the peripheral seal water can leak slowly at the interface between the seal and the skin, thereby distracting the swimmer and interfering with the activity whether it be racing, multilap exercise or in-water diving such as snorkel or scuba diving. Attempts to use petroleum jelly have proven unsuccessful as an additional sealant between the seal and the skin. Petroleum jelly quickly softens, smears and runs with body heat. Some rubbers and plastics are softened by petroleum jelly. As a result the petroleum jelly tends to fail as a sealant, enter the swimmer's eyes and otherwise interfere with the activity.
Further difficulties arise with wearers of moustaches and beards. To seal a moustache adjacent the mask requires a thick coating of petroleum jelly to flatten the moustache. The petroleum jelly, being temperature sensitive, runs and smears into the wearer's mouth.
The problems incurred with a petroleum jelly sealant such as Vaseline (.TM.) brand have suggested that this approach to improving the sealing interface would not be successful.